Rock cover band market drying up? (Steve Brown content)

[MCChris]

http://online.wsj.com/articles/these-days-rock-cover-bands-cant-seem-to-get-gigs-1405564202

Rock 'n' roll is here to stay, Danny & the Juniors sang more than half a century ago. Rockers on the bar-band circuit aren't so sure.

Among the downbeat is Steve Brown, a 44-year-old guitarist who plays classic-rock tunes for a living. Despite a brush with fame, Mr. Brown doesn't shy away from even the most cringe-worthy of gigs. One day he'll perform for thousands at a festival with his rock band, Trixter, whose videos briefly topped MTV's charts in the 1990s. The next night he'll be in a yellow, zebra-print vest belting out "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" at a party in the Hamptons, or singing "Hotel California" as customers examine Buicks at a car dealership in New Jersey.

"Not every show can be Madison Square Garden," he says.

[it's me HHB]

Yeah, its kinda done

[princeofdarkness56]

It ain't what it use to be. Every generation has a voice and something else speaks to the kids of today.

[diablo175]

Tell me about it.

If I look for the silver lining in all of this, it's fortuitous that I suck as a guitarist and didn't try to make a living doing the cover scene.

[it's me HHB]

Googling Bahrain now lol

Googling Bahrain now lol

[Never2Late]

Googling Bahrain now lol

Googling Bahrain now lol

....which might explain why Limp Bizkit is HUGE in Russia right now....

[Cary]

Sad to see. Besides the points listed in the article, this started back in the 80's when we went to a (effectively national) drinking age of 21; this killed a bunch of clubs back home. Then the anti-smoking laws drove more business out of bars. Lastly, a lot of the music (okay, shit) kids listen to today doesn't really lend itself to live cover bands.

[serial]

I see this to some degree, but I think it depends on the market you're in. Over the past two years, I've literally had more gigs than I can handle, to the point where this year, I quit one band and the other band is capping the number of shows we'll play. One of the reasons for this I think is the crowd demographic. We're getting more fortysomethings out who want to listen to late 70s and 80s rock, which is what we do mostly. Their children are in hs or college or out of school and they want to party and spend some of their kids' inheritances-sort of like being let off the leash again. The downside is that they don't come out to every gig as regularly as younger followers did in the past. BUT, they also drink better, which the bars like.

The bars that dropped smoking here are actually doing better business.

Don't know how long this will keep up though as the fortysomethings become older...

[MCChris]

Yeah, I never bought the drinking age/smoking ban explanation. Plenty of places still do brisk business in light of those things. People who want to party will take their chances with the DUI thing and will simply smoke outside, especially younger people who a.) have fewer responsibilities and therefore less reason to wake up early, which bar owners love, because they'll drink until last call and beyond, and b.) are less concerned with consequences. The problem for bands is, those younger folks seem less interested in hearing them play other people's music. They get that from DJs and download jukeboxes without the "we don't know that song" or "we don't play hip-hop."

[elduave]

I think the region one is in has something to do with it. Bustling metropolis with many entertainment options = bad for cover bands. More rural areas = starved for entertainment.

[diablo175]

I think the region one is in has something to do with it. Bustling metropolis with many entertainment options = bad for cover bands. More rural areas = starved for entertainment.

This would certainly explain our unprecedented popularity at the nigh-rural Amvet shows we do....

[elduave]

There you go.

[HSB0531]

I see this to some degree, but I think it depends on the market you're in. Over the past two years, I've literally had more gigs than I can handle, to the point where this year, I quit one band and the other band is capping the number of shows we'll play. One of the reasons for this I think is the crowd demographic. We're getting more fortysomethings out who want to listen to late 70s and 80s rock, which is what we do mostly. Their children are in hs or college or out of school and they want to party and spend some of their kids' inheritances-sort of like being let off the leash again. The downside is that they don't come out to every gig as regularly as younger followers did in the past. BUT, they also drink better, which the bars like.

The bars that dropped smoking here are actually doing better business.

Don't know how long this will keep up though as the fortysomethings become older...

This is exactly what I'm seeing in Long Island NY.

We're getting the 50 somethings and there 20 something kids at the same shows.

We're doing 60's through early 90's rock.

[FGJ]

That was a depressing article... And I only play guitar at home for fun. While I would like to say something like, "I can't imagine what it's like out there", I know first hand what it's like trying to compete in a creative industry, so I feel their pain.

[diablo175]

That was a depressing article... And I only play guitar at home for fun. While I would like to say something like, "I can't imagine what it's like out there", I know first hand what it's like trying to compete in a creative industry, so I feel their pain.

This is a depressing thread. Period.

I try to keep it in perspective by noting that for younger folks and the generations to come, they don't (won't) have the stake in this decline that we (and those who grew up on guitar-oriented rock) do. And no, Guitar Hero will not be able to save our beloved rock music.

For me, this could easily digress into a discussion of the differences between watching live humans perform, a form of quasi-intimate interaction between musician and audience, and the dance experience, where the the musician is removed from the equation and focus is on the dance experience, the audience's interaction with those immediately around them. Music becomes less about appreciation of the skill and creativity of the musician and more about how the music takes on a much more secondary role of supporting the audience's social agendas.

Granted, music, in whatever form, has always been a vehicle for furthering certain non-creative agendas; I recall the many threads about learning to play guitar, joining a band, etc. to get laid.

[Stike]

I see this to some degree, but I think it depends on the market you're in. Over the past two years, I've literally had more gigs than I can handle, to the point where this year, I quit one band and the other band is capping the number of shows we'll play. One of the reasons for this I think is the crowd demographic. We're getting more fortysomethings out who want to listen to late 70s and 80s rock, which is what we do mostly. Their children are in hs or college or out of school and they want to party and spend some of their kids' inheritances-sort of like being let off the leash again. The downside is that they don't come out to every gig as regularly as younger followers did in the past. BUT, they also drink better, which the bars like.

The bars that dropped smoking here are actually doing better business.

Don't know how long this will keep up though as the fortysomethings become older...

What time are you guys usually starting? I know alot of 40 somethings (myself included) who are not into the 10:30-11:30 start time.

[dragan]

We've had a lot of early start gigs the last few years ,Fridays and Sundays typical 5-7:00 start times .

[diablo175]

Yeah, many of our "fans" and supporters gripe about 10 PM start times. Seriously? To be fair, I could definitely grow to enjoy the time frame of a recent gig that started at 5 and ended at 9! :lol:

[cynic]

Maybe it's my years of telling young Sailors that "nothing good happens after midnight" or because I'm a very early riser, but I've passed on MANY opportunities to see bands because of 9pm or later start times.

That said, I'd have passed anyway because drunk people annoy the living shit outta me.

[Sugartune]

Rock cover bands are on the decline, in my observation/area. More modern "country" can be found popping up at places that used to be rock, if talking cover bands. Not a fan of that, but to each their own.

I am also finding more modern type of covers, grunge/alternative,punk, indie, pop. Honestly, whatever had the catchy hook of the week. Whatever makes people move and/or drink. Less pure rock though. The pub experience appears to be much more prefered by rock fans, where the classic rock radio station is played, so they can still get their fix.

We've even had music clubs close down, with pubs taking their place.

There are venues that are rock or still have an occasional rock night, but they are a rare exception. So, the few remaining rock bands could still be busy.

I see a lot more original music being played around town. A good live scene, showcasing the scene's talent along with great touring bands. Not usually cover bands. I would guess a whole lot of all that is location dependant. Small university town in Canada.

[Biz Prof]

It's the bottom of the downward sloping curve of a life cycle, for sure. I still see some glimmers of hope in narrowly-focused sub-genres ("All your favorite 80s hits on acoustic" or "<fill in band name here> tribute"), but there simply aren't as many rock bars as there used to be. My college band's home base, The Attic, closed several years ago and nothing has replaced it in a university town with a population > 100K.

Frankly, the lifestyle wasn't good for my health, and so I have no regrets for having punched out in 1995. Grunge and Alternative were suffocating the Classic Rock genre back then, anyway. Still, I must admit that I miss the smokey haze hanging over the heads of the raucous crowd as our drummer clicked off the cowbell-and-drum intro to "We're an American Band" and we launched into power chords on Hamers fed into non-MV Marshalls. No DJ can cop that vibe.

[hamerhead]

Most bands here start at 9:00 PM, about the same time us old farts are thinking about going to bed. And the old farts that are out seeing a band are heading for the door by 11:00 to A) beat amateur hour (drunks on the road at bartime), B ) avoid cops, or C) get a full 6 hours of teeth soaking.

It would make some sense (to me anyways) for bars to adjust starting times to the type of band on a given night. Blues/classic rock/oldies bands from 7:00 to 11:00 would appeal more to their target audience (old farts), and even give the band a chance to hang out afterwards (DRINK!.....or exchange recipes) with the people coming to see 'em. From personal experience, tearing down for an hour at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, then driving home for a half hour or an hour makes for a pretty long night. My Geritol has long since wore off and I'm starting to get cranky.

[diablo175]

Most bands here start at 9:00 PM, about the same time us old farts are thinking about going to bed. And the old farts that are out seeing a band are heading for the door by 11:00 to A) beat amateur hour (drunks on the road at bartime), B ) avoid cops, or C) get a full 6 hours of teeth soaking.

It would make some sense (to me anyways) for bars to adjust starting times to the type of band on a given night. Blues/classic rock/oldies bands from 7:00 to 11:00 would appeal more to their target audience (old farts), and even give the band a chance to hang out afterwards (DRINK!.....or exchange recipes) with the people coming to see 'em. From personal experience, tearing down for an hour at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, then driving home for a half hour or an hour makes for a pretty long night. My Geritol has long since wore off and I'm starting to get cranky.

Sadly, this isn't all that far from the truth. We were playing a small joint nearby that made us wait until 10 PM to start because the Pizza/Italian restaurant next door stopped serving by then. What, they don't think spaghetti and meatballs goes well with the soothing strains of Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction? Or that large extra cheese and pepperoni doesn't pair well with the dulcet tones of JP's You Got Another Thing Comin'?

[MCChris]

More food for thought:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-fagin/if-jagger-or-mccartney-cover-bands_b_5599853.html

[diablo175]

The main thing I, personally, loved about Neil Shah's article is guys like Trixter's Steve Brown -and myself--, we'd play ukelele for $20 bucks a night in Kabul if there's an audience. We do it for the love of the music. Doesn't matter if we wrote the songs or not.

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